'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAb/xAAgEAACAQMEAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMABBEFEyIxEiVC/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABP/EABsRAAEEAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAgQREkFR/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwCAuPZ2WoTpBD5G0tpI3kHMLvbbMuM/RwQexUbPdLFNJG8jBkYqeI7BpSjRzZLTpLkuN5dX/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Stranger Things Season 5 finale has left audiences around the world pondering a serious question: What really went down with Eleven? The Netflix show released the last episode on New Year's Eve, and the debate about the main character's fate continues to grow.
Recently, Sadie Sink, who plays the role of Max in the series, sharedvher opinion on the matter. During her appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Sadie Sink was asked about Eleven's ultimate fate. Jimmy wanted to know about her thoughts on the character and asked the question to which Sadie Sink said straightaway the following:
"I think she's dead. I don't know."
When asked further if she was certain, she confirmed her belief and later described it as a potential "coping thing," saying that this interpretation made the emotional influence "stronger."
Eleven's ending in the Stranger Things Season 5 finale
In the season 5 finale, Eleven decides to sacrifice herself in the Upside Down to save her friends and close the portal. The episode displays her staying behind as the alternate dimension blasts off. But the story does not conclude there. Mike Wheeler, while ending the game of D&D, shares a different theory with his friends, suggesting that Eleven might have escaped with Kali's support and is now living freely somewhere away from Hawkins.
The Duffer Brothers designed the ending this way for a reason, and Ross Duffer said that Eleven represents childhood and a miracle, and for the characters to evolve and move on, she had to leave them. The creators wanted fans to experience the same uncertainty that the other gang members felt.
How fans are reacting to what happened to Eleven
The Stranger Things Season 5 finale has created substantial reactions online. Some fans believe Eleven died protecting the world. Others think she is alive and living in an isolated village with waterfalls, just as Mike envisioned for them together. The Duffer Brothers later said that they intended the ending to be uncertain, saying,
"she lives on in their hearts, whether that's real or not."
Sadie Sink's perspective matches what many viewers felt after watching the finale. She believes the sadder conclusion makes the story more impactful. During the interview, she explained that Mike's narrative about Eleven is "just one last story" that helps him bid farewell to their childhood.
The creators explain their choice in The Stranger Things
Season 5 finale
The Duffer Brothers have stated why they left Eleven's fate uncertain and open to interpretation. Matt Duffer explained that if audiences knew for sure that Eleven was alive somehow, she would still be at risk from the military trying to find her. Therefore, by keeping her fate unknown, the story safeguards her character while allowing fans to decide what to believe in.
The final basement scene, where the friends bid farewell while playing D&D, was shot for over two days, and the emotions displayed by the actors were genuine. The cast members arrived at the set already in tears as they knew it was the last time they would play the characters in the Stranger Things Season 5 finale.
Why does this matter to the story in The Stranger Things
Season 5 finale?
The ending of Stranger Things is really about evolving and adapting to every circumstance in life. The Duffer Brothers stated that the finale was about characters saying goodbye to their journeys. The last scene shows Mike closing the basement door, which symbolizes the closure of his childhood.
Sadie Sink's interpretation aligns with the theme accurately, as believing Eleven is dead forces the characters to truly let go and move on with their lives, now free from the Upside Down and its consequences.
Trending
The Stranger Things Season 5 finale will continue to spark several conversations and divided speculations for years to come. But Sink's statement on the fate has given some confused fans the closure they were looking for while interpreting Eleven's ending. The magic of the conclusion is that every viewer can choose for themselves what they wish to believe in.
Love movies? Try our Box Office Game and Movie Grid Game to test your film knowledge and have some fun!
Reply
